Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Phyllis Noah, Communications Coordinator
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu or pnoah@shawnee.edu
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

Shawnee State University hosts Central Asian UGRAD fellows

            Four students from Central Asia are attending Shawnee State University for one academic year under the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program. The program provides non-degree undergraduate study abroad in the United States to university students in 12 countries of the former Soviet Union.
            The goal of the program is to increase cross-cultural understanding between Eurasian countries and the United States with the students sharing their countries and cultures with America, strengthen relations with the United States and to serve as community leaders and “cultural ambassadors” for the United States.
            Following the program, Global UGRAD fellows return to finish college in their home countries, share what they have learned with others, and contribute to the development of their home communities.
            The students are placed in accredited universities and colleges throughout the United States. They are required to give back to their host communities by contributing a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer work during the year. They also complete part-time internships, gaining experience in the American workplace and developing relationships with local businesses, government offices, nonprofit organizations and other institutions.
            Each student has a “Cultural Passport to America” to track activities and to guide students on how they have served as cultural ambassadors.
            The Global UGRAD Program in Central Asia is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).
            IREX is an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development. For more information about IREX, visit www.irex.org.